Working from Home: Voices of the Family Child Care Workforce in New Jersey

• In Event: Work, Care Work, and Policy Design: Reimagining Labor Supports Across Contexts

Abstract

Family child care (FCC) providers, as part of a larger group of home-based child care options available to families, are a critical, yet understudied, component of the care economy. Research suggests that nearly 40% of working mothers rely on home-based child care providers to meet their care needs (National Association for Family Child Care, 2024). FCCs provide care within their own communities, which are more likely to be in rural, low-income, and diverse areas, providing a home-based and culturally-matched setting for families, who may prefer this option over more formal center-based care. Moreover, because FCC providers are licensed business establishments and must comply with guidance set forth by their respective licensing and monitoring agencies, policy interventions to grow this sector are feasible and of growing interest across the U.S. 

This paper presentation will share findings from a state-wide survey of licensed FCC providers in New Jersey (n = 208, with 131 English responses and 77 Spanish responses). Survey questions asked their work characteristics, motivations to care for children in their homes, and what policymakers could do to improve their working conditions. Current analyses focus on understanding professional experiences by years of FCC experience. While most respondents across experience levels want to continue working in child care, nearly four out of every 10 (39%) established providers indicated some level of interest in leaving the field in comparison to only three out of 10 (29%) new providers. New providers, however, were more likely to express interest in working in a licensed child care center (55%) or public school (81%), in comparison to established providers (at 40% and 52%, respectively). 

As efforts aim to build the capacity of FCC providers in New Jersey and other states, findings provide insights into approaches to aid in the recruitment and retention of the FCC workforce as well as build pathways and synergies between this sector of the workforce and the larger care workforce, including center-based and pre-k programs.  

Author

• Liana Lin, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Presenting Author